Suck!

The chase lasted for about three quarters of an hour before it finally came to a halt.

It had to stop, for Zhu Youning had reached a dead end.

Of course, Zhu Youning had not stumbled into a dead end out of panic; at the very least, he had not lost his way. He had come here with a purpose.

It was precisely because he was certain this path led to a dead end that he had fled here.

The area was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the only exit, while initially empty, was quickly occupied.

The ones who arrived were Li Cunzhong and Li Cunxiao.

Li Cunzhong and Li Cunxiao had pursued and searched for three quarters of an hour, and now, they had finally caught up to Zhu Youning.

Li Cunzhong's expression remained as wretched and smug as ever, yet he appeared cold and composed. For some reason, his clothes were stained with a few specks of mud, though he did not seem to notice.

The moment he heard the thunderous footsteps of Li Cunxiao, Zhu Youning, standing at the mouth of the dead end, suddenly stiffened, then just as suddenly relaxed.

"Zhu Youning, why don't you run? Why have you stopped?"

Li Cunzhong sneered triumphantly.

"Run? Why would I need to run?"

Zhu Youning, who had been facing away from Li Cunzhong and Li Cunxiao, turned around. He looked at them with a calm face and said indifferently, "Today, the ones who will be laid to rest here are not me, but you."

"Delusional."

Li Cunzhong scanned his surroundings to confirm there were no ambushes before saying with disdain, "Stop dreaming. My tenth brother is a master of the Great Heavenly Rank! What could you possibly use to kill us?"

"Is that so?" Zhu Youning glanced at them and said, "Don't you feel like something is wrong?"

"Wrong? You're just trying to alarm us. Do you think you have some hidden card? An ambush? It doesn't look like it. That only leaves poison."

At this, Li Cunzhong chuckled and continued, "But it's a pity. My tenth brother not only possesses a body of iron, but his internal energy cultivation has reached the Great Heavenly Rank. With his formidable internal strength and protective true energy, he is impervious to blades and fire. Even if you used some exotic poison, with my tenth brother's deep cultivation and protective qi, it would take at least an hour for the toxicity to take effect!"

"What if this poison is specifically designed to target true energy?" Zhu Youning smiled faintly, his expression tinged with mockery. "Without internal energy, I wonder how long this Great Heavenly Rank can hold up?"

"What did you say? Without internal energy?"

Upon hearing this, Li Cunzhong's expression shifted slightly.

Zhu Youning watched them calmly and said, "Li Cunxiao's internal energy is indeed profound, but after such a long pursuit, the time for the poison to take effect has arrived."

Li Cunzhong felt a sudden jolt of alarm and immediately checked the energy in his dantian. Yet, at that very moment, he felt a wave of discomfort wash over his body.

He couldn't help but touch his face, his expression turning to one of shock.

He was actually crying?

It turned out that during the time they had been speaking, Li Cunzhong's face had already been drenched in tears, which flowed uncontrollably.

But that was not the main issue. If it were just shedding tears, it would be fine, but besides the crying, Li Cunzhong's body had gone limp, and he couldn't muster a shred of strength.

Even worse, the internal energy within his dantian had become nearly stagnant; not only could he not draw upon his internal breath, but he couldn't circulate it at all.

"Tenth brother, how are you?"

Li Cunzhong was horrified and hurriedly looked at Li Cunxiao, only to discover that Li Cunxiao was also weeping. He had clearly fallen for the trap as well.

What was happening? Could they have truly been poisoned?!

But what kind of unheard-of poison could make a person weep?

"You! What exactly did you do? When did you poison us?!"

"Don't worry, I won't tell you."

Although the situation was clear and telling Li Cunzhong the truth would have no impact, Zhu Youning simply refused to tell him.

If you poison someone, you poison them—why would you provide an explanation? What if you end up being countered? Who would be to blame then?

Thinking you have victory in the bag and revealing your secrets to others is called stupidity! It is called aiding the enemy! If you get killed in a reversal, you have only yourself to blame.

In the world of martial arts, one must remain cautious and careful.

Even if no one in this world recognized the poison Zhu Youning had used, there was always someone better, and a mountain higher than the one you stand on. Zhu Youning did not believe that no one could create an antidote for this poison.

This poison was called "Sadness-Soothing Breeze," a one-time consumable item that Zhu Youning had exchanged for at the cost of 20 points of I Practice Martial Arts From the Heart.

"Sadness-Soothing Breeze" was a consumable from I Practice Martial Arts From the Heart. Its effect in the game was to cause the enemy's internal energy to stagnate, preventing them from unleashing their martial arts, primarily used against enemies who relied on internal energy as their main means of attack.

In reality, those affected by the Sadness-Soothing Breeze would first lose all physical strength. Although their internal energy remained, it could not be circulated, and they could forget about using it for a short time.

As for the method of poisoning, it was simple. After Zhu Youning exchanged for the Sadness-Soothing Breeze, he had mixed it into the "Volatile Fire" gunpowder canister and thrown it at Li Cunxiao.

Sadness-Soothing Breeze was a gaseous toxin stored in a bottle. Once the bottle was shattered by the explosion, it turned into an odorless and colorless gas that permeated the surroundings.

Even if Li Cunxiao had a head of copper and bones of iron, having survived a hundred battles unscathed, he still had to breathe. It was impossible for him not to be affected.

"You!"

Li Cunzhong pointed at Zhu Youning, unable to speak, when suddenly his body lurched.

It turned out that Li Cunxiao's internal energy had completely stagnated, causing him to collapse onto the ground, which in turn caused Li Cunzhong, who had been standing on his broad back, to fall off.

Li Cunzhong tumbled to the ground in a sorry state, covered in dust and appearing extremely weak. Yet, his gaze remained sharp, fixed on Zhu Youning with intense hatred.

Zhu Youning had no interest in wasting more breath on a dying man; he stepped before Li Cunzhong and slammed a palm onto his dantian, simultaneously pushing the Northern Dark Divine Art to its limit.

In the mere instant of contact, Li Cunzhong felt a numbing sensation spread from his dantian as his internal energy surged rapidly into Zhu Youning's body.

Li Cunzhong tried to push Zhu Youning away, but his limbs were weak and powerless, rendering him unable to do so.

In a flash, the internal energy within Li Cunzhong poured into Zhu Youning like a burst dam, unstoppable.

"Th-this... what kind of evil art is this? My internal energy!"

Li Cunzhong's eyes widened in disbelief; he still wanted to resist, but he was utterly helpless.

At this moment, Zhu Youning clearly felt a warm stream of internal energy manifesting in his own dantian.

Although it was only a small cluster of energy, it was enough to equal years, or even decades, of cultivation for an ordinary person—and this was only what had been absorbed in a single breath!

Intent on accelerating the absorption, Zhu Youning pushed the Northern Dark Divine Art with all his might.

Soon, the internal energy in Li Cunzhong's dantian was completely drained, transferred entirely into Zhu Youning's body, where it was continuously converted into his Northern Dark True Qi.

After absorbing Li Cunzhong's energy, Zhu Youning instantly felt his own internal power surge significantly, leaving him with a sudden sense of fullness.

This Li Cunzhong was truly worthy of being a Great Star Realm expert; his internal energy alone far exceeded the combined power of all the Buliangren moles at the Xuanming Cult's Bian Prefecture branch!

If Li Cunzhong of the Great Star Realm was like this, then what of Li Cunxiao, who stood at the Great Heavenly Rank?